This invention related to a patrol boat and more particularly to an improved watercraft that is designed for facilitating at sea rescue and a litter therefor.
There is a need for a type of watercraft that is particularly useful in rescuing individuals at sea. Such a watercraft should be constructed in such a way as to permit high speed operation and yet be capable of easily moving an injured person from the body of water onto the watercraft for treatment and rescue purposes. The construction should be such that the individual can be conveniently moved from the body of water onto the deck of the watercraft with the minimum amount of disturbance to his body to avoid aggravating injuries.
It is, therefore, a principal object to this invention to provide an improved rescue type of boat having a deck which is substantially flush with the water level for facilitating transportation of an injured person from the water onto the deck.
It is further object to this invention to provide an improved deck arrangement for such a watercraft that will accommodate transfer of injured persons to the deck and which will also permit the injured person to recline on the deck and receive emergency treatment there, if desirable.
In some regards it also is desirable to provide a way in which the injured person may be easily transferred onto the deck and it is a further object to this invention to provide an improved arrangement for permitting an injured person to be drawn onto the deck from the body of water in which the person is floating.
In connection with this type of watercraft, it is very desirable if the deck can be positioned at the rear of the watercraft so that the injured person may be easily transferred to the deck. However, with conventional types of propulsion devices, such a rear deck position is not always possible.
It is, therefore, a still further object to this invention to provide an improved rescue boat propelled by jet propulsion units so as to facilitate a low rear deck onto which injured persons may be readily transferred from the body of water in which the watercraft is operating.
In the aforenoted copending application, there is disclosed a patrol boat that meets these requirements. However, in conjunction with such patrol boats, it is also desirable to have a system or litter than can be employed for the purpose of not only keeping the injured person afloat while he is in the body of water, but also for assisting in his transfer into the patrol boat.
As described in the aforenoted copending application, the patrol boat is provided with a rear deck portion that opens generally at the water level and into which the injured person can be easily transported. It is also disclosed in that application how warm water discharged from the powering engine's cooling system can be discharged into this deck area to keep the temperature of the injured person elevated. There is obviously an advantage if the litter employed to transport the injured person to the deck area can also be used to suspend the person's body when in the deck area and also to permit the heated water to circulate across his body.
It is, therefore, a principal object of this invention to provide an improved litter that can be utilized for rescuing injured persons at sea.
It is a further object of this invention to provide an improved litter for rescuing injured persons and which permits the flotation of the injured person in the body of water and also transportation into the deck area of the associated patrol boat.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a combined patrol boat litter arrangement wherein the transfer of injured persons is facilitated and the treatment of the injured person is also facilitated.